Widescreen Gaming Forum

I'm replacing my dying 19" CRT for gaming.

I was looking at a 20" 16:9 that is 1600*900 but have been second guessing it because it looks to be a pretty uncommon res.

Would I be better off getting a 19" 1440*900?

Also if I play a game at a lower resolution on the 16:9 monitor, does the lower resolution have to be a 16:9 resolution or could I play it at a 16:10 res like 1440*900 without it distorting the picture. (sry if these questions are obvious, but I've been on a CRT forever)

*the 19" is $10 more, so I was looking at the 20" specifically.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824005110

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824005128

Ah, gotta love the old CRT. Just lucked out and swapped my dead 21" Viewsonic for a Dell with Sony's aperture grille of the same size using the E-Cycle program for FREE! :D

Yeah I've seen 1600x900 popping up here and there in displays and in some game menus. The trend is swinging toward manufacturers making 16:9 lately, so keep that in mind. IMHO they should have made the widescreen PC monitors 16:9 in the first place.

What a monitor will display in a lower than native res depends on what kind of scaling it has. Many have 1:1, Aspect Correct, and Stretch scaling. A 1600x900 display should show a 1440x900 image the same but with small side bars if it has aspect correct scaling.

Also, many games can be assigned a custom res not offered in their menu via editing a config or ini file. You can test this on games you already own easily with your CRT as they usually accept a wide range of resolutions.

Now is a tough time to pick a display because it's hard to say for sure if 16:9 will catch on for gaming or not. I would say most likely it will. Many prefer 16:9 for being wider and it's more cost effective for manufacturers to use panels already done in TV sizes.

Thanks for the reply

I have a 19" Viewsonic CRT that lasted close to 10 years of everyday use including 2 moves.

I ended up going with the 16:9 because most of the games I play support it right now. I know if I didn't get it, I'd regret it when playing supported games.

I ended up going with the 16:9 because most of the games I play support it right now. I know if I didn't get it, I'd regret it when playing supported games.

Let us know how it works out for you. :wink:

Ha, I folded and dug up some more money and ordered the 22" LG 1680*1050. I'll just eat Top Ramen a couple of weeks and be caught back up.

NewEgg was the pretty awesome at canceling the order no problem too.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824005109

Hope its good, its the most I could afford. And anything is better than what I have now.

Thanks for the help.

Ha, I folded and dug up some more money and ordered the 22" LG 1680*1050. I'll just eat Top Ramen a couple of weeks and be caught back up.

NewEgg was the pretty awesome at canceling the order no problem too.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824005109

Hope its good, its the most I could afford. And anything is better than what I have now.

Thanks for the help.

Congrats and SPAM can also help to stretch the budget ;-P

My poor man's substitute for those expensive freeze dried meals when backpacking was a package of ramen mixed with some granulated soy and a packet of Knorr vegetable soup mix.